of gainsborough



May 19, 1931. A. G.- ROSE CONVEYER FOR PACKAGING MACHINES Filed Nov. 11, 1929 I IYTIr Patented May 19, 1931 I- UNITED STATES PATE'E' OFFICE ALFRED GERMAN ROSE, F GAINSBOROUGH, ENG-LAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ROSE BROTHERS (GAINSBOBOUGH) LIMITED, 0]? GAINSBOROUG-I-I, ENGLAND, A

BRITISH COMPANY CONVEYER FOR PACKAGING- MACHINES Application filed November 11, 1929, Serial No. LOG/64, and in Great Britain November 21, 1928.

@ at spaced intervals throughout its length with upstanding elements i. e. formers or pushers to engage the articles to be conveyed, 1t being desired to remove the articles from the conveyer before they are carried over the curved v 1; portion of its path, or to remove them at some predetermined station.

One application of the invention is to carton-forming apparatus in which formers are carried on an endless conveyer and sheet blanks are folded about the formers as the a plane at right angles thereto and each blank is engaged by the leading end of a former (e. g. of rectangular shape) and is carried forward thereby past devices (usually stationary) which fold the blank into an openended pouch encompassing the front end, the

top and bottom, and the sidesof the former.

Another application of the invention is to wrapping apparatus in which the articles to be wrapped are advanced along a horizontal path by pusher elements carried on an endless conveyer, and a wrapper is folded about each article to form an open-ended pouch which encloses the front end, the top and bottom and the sides of the article and which projects at its open end beyond the adjacent rear end of the article by anamount sufficient to allow of the projecting portion being folded down to complete the wrapping.

In each of the above types of apparatus the upstanding elements on the conveyer extend within the carton or wrapper when the latter is approaching the end of the conveyer path. In the first case the conveyer elements which constitute formers) project up to the forward end of the carton, in the sec The main object of the present invention is to provide improved means for removing the cartons or the partially wrapped articles from the conveyer at the end of its path, that is to say before the formers or pushers turn downwardly out of the horizontal plane of the upper conveyer lap. It is essential in each of the cases referred to above) that the carton or partially wrapped article he removed ahead of the conveyer at a speed greater than the linear speed at which the conveyer 1s drlveng otherwise the former or push-er as it turned round would foul the carton 0r wrapper within which. it extends. The mechanism provided by this invention may, however, be used in conjunction with a conveyeroperating on articles other than cartons in the process of formation, or articles about which wrappers have been partially folded, for example the conveyer may be dealing with articles (e. cigarette packets), to which wrappers have not been applied.

This arrangement ensures that when the stripping fingers are initially brought into engagement with the edges of the carton or wrapper, they do not buckle said edges because they are travelling at substantially the same linear speed as the conveyer. By the subsequent accelerated movement of the stripping fingers the carton or partially wrapped article is moved ahead clear of the conveyer path.-

The apparatus may be arranged to transfer the cartons or partially wrapped articles to a second conveyer travelling at rightangles to the first one. Where the apparatus is dealing with empty cartons or the like, the latter may be taken by the second conveyer to a filling station. Where the apparatus is dealing with articles which have been partially wrapped during their travel on the first conveyer, the open end of each pouchshaped wrapping may be closed during the conveyance of the article by the aforemen tioned second conveyer,

One construction embodying conveyer mechanism according to this invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which-- Figure 1 is a plan view,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the mechanism shown in Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows 2, 2 and Figure 3 is a scrap section taken on the lines 33 in Figures 1 and 2.

Throughout this description like reference numerals indicate like parts.

Referring to Figure 1, an endless conveyer belt 10 carrying formers 11 is traversed horizontally and previously to the stage depicted. in this drawing carton blanks have been fed across the path of the conveyer in a plane at right angles thereto and each blank having been engaged by the leading: end of a former is carried thereby past stationary devices which have operated to fold the blank into an. open ended pouch 12. Upon either side of the upper lap of the endless conveyer are two chains 13, 13, moving in a horizontal plane around chain wheels 14:, 14. Attached to the links of these chains are support platforms 15 arranged to underlie the cartons 12 during their travel, and stripping fingers 16 which contact with the rear of the ,ar-tons. Normally the linear speed of the stripping fingers and the cartons is the same but at a predetermined period. the linear speed of the stripping: fingers is increased in relation to the speed of the conveyer and the cartons are removed from the formers 11. The flanks of the formers 11 have lonsritudinal slots through which the fingers 16 pass during); the stripping operation. The chain wheels 1 14 are driven by bevel nearing; 17, 18 from a horizontal shaft 19. This shaft is supported in bearings 20, 21 and is driven at a fluctuating angular velocity from a constant sneer. shaft 22 through the meoium of a spec al coupling which is shown in section in Fig;- ure 3. The axes of the shafts 19 and 22 are offset, but parallel to one another. Upon the end of the shaft 22, which is supported in a hearing 23 is a crank 24 carrying a crank pin 25 and pivoted on the crank pin is a slipper 26 which is in sliding engagement with a slotted cross-head 27 carried on the end of the shaft 19.

Considering Figure 3 it will be seen that with the couplingin the position shown, the angular velocity of shaft 19 will be considerably greater than that of shaft 22. Conversely when the crank has rotated through 180 the angular velocity of shaft 19 will bc less than shaft 22. The position of the crank and cross-head relative to the positions of the several formers on the conveyer 10 is so arranged that at a predetermined station an increase in velocity is imparted to the fingers .16 and the cartons lifted from the formers.

The driving mechanism is so arranged and the crank and cross-head are so set that when a pair of stripping fingers is first brought into operation, the stripping linger chains are travelling at substantially the same speed the conveyor, and subsequently while the stripping lingers remain in operation the linear speed of the chains is increased consequentupon an increase in the angular speed of the cross-head.

According; to this invent-ion the cartons or wrapped articles are removed from the conveyer by stripping lingers, located on opposite sides of the conveyor path, in combination with neans operable as each. former or pusher pproachcs the end of the convcyer path, first to move the stripping fingers into end-on engagement with the rear portion of carton or wrapper at a speed which is substantially the same the linear speed of the conveyer, and secondly to move the stripping fingers ahead of the conveyor at an accelerated speed. The function of the platforms 15 is to underlie and support the cartons during their removal from the formers.

1. The combination of a conveyer of the endless track type having one lap in a horizontal plane, means on said conveyor to engage the articles to be transported, and trans fer mechanism compr sing; two endless bands provided with stripping: lingers and located on opposite sides respectively of the conveyor with one lap of each band parallel to the aforesaid lap of the conveyer, and driving" means for the stripping fingers, comprising a device for converting rotational movement at constant angular velocity into rotational movement at fluctuating angular velocity, operable about the period when. an article approaches the end of the conveyer lap to move the stripping fingers into engagement with the rear end of the article at a linear speed which is substantially the same as that of the conveyor and subsequently ahead of the conveyer at an increased linear speed.

2. The combination of a conveyer of the endless track type having one lap in a horizontal plane, pushers on the conveyer to engage the articles to be transported, transfer mechanism comprising two endless bands provided with stripping fingers and located on opposite sides respectively of the conveyor with one lap of each band parallel to the aforesail lap of the conveyor, and driving means for the stripping fingers, comprising a device for convertina rotational movement at constant angular velocity into fluctuating. angular velocity, operable about the period when an article approaches the end of the conveyer lap to move the stripping fingers into engagement with the rear end of the article at a linear speed substantially the same that of the conveyer and subsequently ahead of the conveyer at an increased linear speed.

3. The combination of a conveyer of the endless track type for transporting openended bags, having one lap ina horizontal plane, formers on the conveyer, each former being partially enveloped by a bag which has its open end facing away from the direction of motion of the conveyer, transferring mechanism comprising two endless bands provided with stripping fingers and located on oppo site sides respectively of the conveyer with one lap of each band parallel to the aforesaid lap of the conveyer and driving means for the stripping fingers, comprising a de vice for converting rotational movement at a constant angular velocity into rotational movement at a fluctuating angular velocity operable about the period when an open ended bag approaches the end of the conveyer lap to move the stripping fingers into engagement with the marginal portions of the open mouth of the bag at a linear speed substantially the same as that of the conveyer and subsequently ahead of the conveyer at an increased linear speed removing the openended bag from the former.

4;. The combination of a conveyer of the endless track type having one lap in a horizontal plane, means on said conveyer to engage the articles to be transported, and transfer mechanism comprising two endless bands provided with stripping fingers and located on opposite sides respectively of the conveyer with one lap of each band parallel to the aforesaid lap of the conveyer and driving means for the stripping fingers, including two offset parallel rotatable shafts and a coupling between them comprising a crosshead on one shaft and on the other shaft a crank and a crank-pin engaging the crosshead, operable about the period when an ar ticle approaches the end of the conveyer lap to move the stripping fingers into engagement with the rear end of the article at a linear speed which is substantially the same as that of the conveyer and subsequently ahead of the conveyer at an increased linear speed. s

5. The combination .of a conveyer of the endless track type for transporting openended bags, which conveyer has one lap in a horizontal plane, formers on the conveyer, each former being adapted to be partially enveloped by a bag which has its open end facing away from the direction of travel of the conveyer, horizontal grooves along the opposed flanks of the formers, transfer mechanism comprising two endless bands provided with stripping fingers and located on opposite sides respectively of the conveyer with one lap on each band parallel with the aforesaid lap of the conveyer and driving means for the stripping fingers operable about the period when an open-ended bag approaches the end of the conveyer lap to move the stripping fingers into engagement with the marginal edges of the open mouth of the bag at a linear speed substantially the same as that of the conveyer and subsequent ly ahead of the conveyer at an increased linear speed, these stripping fingers moving through the aforesaid grooves and moving the bags.

6. The combination of a conveyer of the endless track type having one lap in a horizontal plane, means on said'conveyer to engage the articles to be transported, and transfer mechanism for removing the articles from the conveyer comprising two endless bands provided with stripping fingers and located on opposite sides respectively of the conveyer with one lap of each band parallel to r the aforesaid lap of the conveyer, driving means for the stripping fingers operable about the period when an article approaches the end of the conveyer lap to move the stripping fingers into engagement with the rear end of the article at a linear speed which is substantially the same as that of the conveyer and subsequently ahead of the conveyer at an increased linear speed, and supporting members carried on the endless bands aforesaid with their upper surfaces substantially level with the lower surfaces of the articles to support the latter when they are moving ahead of the conveyer.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ALFRED GERMAN ROSE. 

